Santa Maria Style BBQ: Traditional California Grilling at Home
Discover the rich heritage and essential techniques of authentic Santa Maria Style BBQ, California's distinctive contribution to American barbecue traditions, featuring oak-grilled tri-tip and traditional accompaniments that you can recreate at home with Suzie Q's specialty products.
Equipment
- Grill preferably charcoal or with ability to add wood chips
- Meat thermometer for ensuring proper doneness
- Tongs for handling meat on the grill
- Sharp carving knife for properly slicing tri-tip against the grain
Ingredients
Tri-Tip
- 2-3 pounds tri-tip roast trimmed
- 2 tablespoons Santa Maria seasoning such as Suzie Q's
- 1 cup red oak wood chips soaked if using gas grill
Pinquito Beans
- 1 pound pinquito beans dried
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Accompaniments
- 1 loaf French bread sliced
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 2 cloves garlic minced, for garlic butter
- 2 cups fresh salsa homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- For the beans: Soak pinquito beans overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse.
- In a large pot, cook diced bacon until fat renders. Add onion and garlic, sauté until soft.
- Add beans, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for 2-3 hours until tender.
- For the tri-tip: Remove meat from refrigerator 30-45 minutes before grilling to bring to room temperature.
- Pat tri-tip dry with paper towels. Season generously with Santa Maria seasoning, rubbing it into all surfaces of the meat.
- Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat (about 400-450°F). For gas grills, use a smoker box with soaked red oak chips.
- For charcoal grills, add red oak chunks or chips directly to hot coals just before grilling.
- Place tri-tip on the grill, fat side up. Sear for 5-7 minutes on each side to develop a good crust.
- Move to indirect heat and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 130-135°F for medium-rare (about 25-30 minutes total cooking time).
- While meat is grilling, mix softened butter with minced garlic. Spread on sliced French bread and grill for 1-2 minutes until toasted.
- Remove tri-tip from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.
- Serve sliced tri-tip with pinquito beans, garlic bread, and fresh salsa.
Notes
Tri-tip should be cooked to medium-rare for best results. The cut has different grain directions, so be sure to identify them and slice perpendicular to the grain for maximum tenderness. Authentic pinquito beans are smaller than pinto beans and have a firmer texture that holds up well when cooked.